Sometimes you're the windshield Sometimes you're the (window air conditioner) bug...

Younger daughter lives in hipster-ville, Brooklyn, asked if I would help her buy (and install, of course!) a bedroom air conditioner. Being the safety-obsessed father, I threw myself into designing and building a robust contraption to ensure security of the A/C and double-hung window facing the rear of the building, and adjacent fire escape.

I decide a floor-standing A/C is preferable to minimize window opening size, added benefit of keeping noise from the unit away from the bed.

The drive in two weekends ago takes an hour-plus, and the wife and daughter yak it up as I take measurements, make a detailed drawing, and take pictures of the window interior and exterior. This past weekend I swing by big-box home improvement store, pick up a half-dozen carriage bolts, and assortment of window track locks. I spend a few hours with the toy collection (aka power tools :-) ) fabricating the plywood-and-framing-lumber 'box' the A/C vent hose will pass through, ensure (reasonably) air-tight, and secure as any safety-obsessed father with woodworking skills can make it (i.e. _way_ too many 2 inch construction screws).

Sunday afternoon I assemble a (massive) array of tools to bring with me to install the 'window-A/C-vent-box': impact driver, corded drill, hand saw, drill bits, impact bits, packing tape, belt sander, screws, extension cord, jig saw, yada yada. And assortment of framing lumber cut-offs 'just in case' :-).

The easy drive in should have been a sign. I find a parking space in front of the building - another sign - and schlepp up tools, A/C unit, 'window-A/C-box', and assorted extra framing-lumber.

Mocking up the 'window-A/C-box', I discover I'm off a half-inch here, five-eighths there, requiring several cuts using the hand-saw in the bathroom: standing with one foot on the lip of the tub, to ease later cleanup of sawdust and cutoffs. It's a beautiful summer day, 90+ degrees with a nice breeze ... but no breeze inside, other than from the box fan.

After necessary adjustments the 'window-A/C-box' is completely installed and fits perfectly; the vent hose lines up exactly through the five inch opening. I connect vent hose to the A/C, install filter per the instructions, plug in, turn on, and it powers right up. I adjust desired temperature a few degrees down. I feel the cool air coming out, and observe a few minutes to make sure it works OK. Then  *poof* A/C suddenly shuts down with no warning. CR*P... maybe I blew the fuse ? I double check the circuit breaker on the A/C plug, reset it, it shows green. Plug other stuff into the outlet, works fine. Try another outlet, no joy. I wait ten minutes ... maybe the A/C condenser overheat protection was triggered? Still no joy. I call the manufacturer support number .... "please leave a message".  Arggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!

We load everything back into the car - A/C unit, tools, assorted extra framing-lumber, etc. Oh well. This time I was the bug :-(

Adventures in Screen Door (and Dishwasher) Repair - Labor Day Weekend 2013

Sunday 2pm, Birthday BBQ party (#1 of 2) for our younger daughter, at my 87 yr old Mother-In-Law's house who lives nearby - *great* when the kids were little, free baby sitter, etc. 

One bottom roller on her kitchen screen door goes to hardware heaven just before we arrive. This particular sliding glass door (and screen) has consumed ~60 hours of my lifetime, if I add up repairs over the years. If I had any brains I'd have paid out of my own pocket to have it replaced, be *way* ahead of the game by now. At least more brain cells left - a precious commodity, at this point !

Endure various grimaced looks from Mother-In-Law, Sister-In-Laws, Wife, Niece, et al, as they try to use the door, broken-bottom-roller-grinding-against-bare-metal. Of course, it's 200% humidity, so keeping the glass door closed not really an option ... 47 yr-old central AC gave up the ghost *long* ago, and ceiling + floor fans aren't helping enough w. pea-soup humidity. I take the screen door off, tweak the remains of the dead roller, probably made it worse. 

After dinner I bring the portable BBQ back home, grab a few tools, miraculously/quickly find a spare roller, and head back to Mother-In-Law's house (trip #1). After quickly stripping the rusted screw I try to chisel off the head with a screwdriver + hammer, slicing my finger open. Bleeding profusely, I decide to call it a day, telling Mother-In-Law I'd either come back later (if it wasn't raining), or tomorrow (Monday morning), Labor Day. Endure additional facial grimaces.

Monday morning trips to Mother-In-Law's:

 ~9:00 am trip #2: bring Impact Driver, screw extractor set, spray lube, WD40, + box of misc. coarse-thread screws. Quickly strip screw even worse.

 ~9:30 am trip #3: drive home (again), grab drill bits, head back to Mother-In-Law's. Drain both batteries drilling out screw, get ~75% through.

 ~9:45 am trip #4: drive home (again), grab 1/2 inch hammer drill :-> and extension cord, head back to Mother-In-Law's. Takes all of 5 minutes to drill rest of screw out / install replacement roller / put screen in / hit all four rollers w. spray lube, and 'get-outta-dodge'.

Monday 2pm, our dishwasher goes belly up 30 minutes before guests show up for Birthday BBQ #2 at our house. Frenzied attempt to repair dishwasher, disassemble/clean all moving parts, still no-workee. Party is great, 8:45 pm with dishes piled to ceiling, my wife says, "I know where we're going tomorrow night - dishwasher shopping!", all smiling/happy - new kitchen appliance, yay!  Motivated by (a) my cheapness, and (b) avoiding even *more* work of schlepping new dishwasher home + installing same, I take out my repair kit (recycled childs canvas purse :-), with torx bits, t-handle wrench, ratchet screwdriver, etc. Takes ten minutes to remove dishwasher front cover, diagnose broken door switch, put in wire shunt, dishwasher is back in action by 9pm :->>

In-way-over-my-head fireplace project

Inspired by http://abraknitsthings.blogspot.com/  !

Pics of den floor, just a little sub-project for the in-way-over-my-head fireplace project :-)